Preparation and evaluation of a novel delayed-onset sustained-release system of propranolol hydrochloride.

The objective of this work was to prepare and evaluate a new delayed-onset sustained-release system, comprising a sustained-release core tablet with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as polymer matrix and an ethylcellulose/Eudragit L coating capable of delaying the drug release. The sustained core containing propranolol hydrochloride as the model drug was prepared by granulate tableting and the polymer coating was applied in a computer-controlled coating pan. The dissolution tests demonstrated that the in-vitro drug release was pH-dependent with sufficient gastric resistance, and the lag time (t(10%)) could be controlled by adjusting the coating level.

[Expression and clinical implication of platelet-derived growth factor-D and platelet-derived growth factor-beta in childhood IgA nephropathy].

Objective: To investigate the clinical implication of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-D and PDGF-beta in IgA nephropathy in childhood.

Methods: Forty-seven children with IgA nephropathy and 26 controls were enrolled for study, and their serum, urine and renal biopsy specimens were examined. The patients were divided into control group [including serum, urine specimens of 13 healthy children and 13 renal biopsy samples of non-IgA nephropathy in children], mild proliferation (MP) group (13 patients), focal proliferation (FP) group (19 patients), and proliferation sclerosis (PS) group (15 patients).

[Construction and characterization of hSef recombinant adenoviral vectors].

Sef (similar expression to fgf genes) was identified as a feedback antagonist of FGF signaling in zerbrafish, mouse and human. To construct recombinant adenoviral vectors expressing hSef-L and hSef-S, the coding sequences of the two isoforms were amplified and ligated into pAdTrack-CMV, forming shuttle vectors pAdTrack-CMV/hSef-L-Myc and pAdTrack-CMV/hSef-S-Myc. After sequence confirmation, these two shuttle vector plasmids were linearized by Pme I and then co-transformed respectively with the adenoviral genome vector pAdEasy-1 into E.

[The influence of different microenvironments on melanoma invasiveness and microcirculation patterns].

Objective: To investigate the influence of different microenvironments on tumor microcirculation patterns and invasive capability.

Methods: Melanoma B16 cells were injected into the peritoneal cavity and skeletal muscle of C57 mice synchronously. CK18 expression in melanoma was assessed to distinguish the malignant phenotype of tumors in the peritoneal cavity from that in the skeletal muscle.

hSef potentiates EGF-mediated MAPK signaling through affecting EGFR trafficking and degradation.

Sef (similar expression to fgf genes) was identified as an effective antagonist of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in vertebrates. Previous reports have demonstrated that Sef interacts with FGF receptors (FGFRs) and inhibits FGF signaling, however, its role in regulating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling remains unclear. In this report, we found that hSef localizes to the plasma membrane (PM) and is subjected to rapid internalization and well localizes in early/recycling endosomes while poorly in late endosomes/lysosomes.

Distribution, sources, and potential risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking water resources from Henan Province in middle of China.

Distribution and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking water resources have been carried out for the first time in Henan Province, China. Water samples collected from four river systems and their tributaries, as well as groundwater resources, were analyzed according to EPA method 525.2.

Roles of mixing patterns in cooperation on a scale-free networked game.

We investigate how the degree-mixing pattern affects the emergence of cooperation in the networked prisoner's dilemma game. Our study shows that when a network becomes assortative mixing by degree, the large-degree vertices (hubs) tend to interconnect to each other closely, which destroys the sustainability among cooperators and promotes the invasion of defectors, whereas in disassortative networks, the isolation among hubs protects the cooperative hubs in holding onto their initial strategies to avoid extinction.

[Effects of specific small interfering RNA on Smoothened expression and LoVo cell proliferation and apoptosis].

Objective: To study the effects of specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) on Smoothened (Smo) gene expression and the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer LoVo cells.

Methods: Three different siRNAs (siRNA-1, siRNA-2, and siRNA-3, respectively) were transfected into LoVo cells via cationic liposome, and the changes of Smo mRNA level were determined using semi-quantitative RT-PCR 48 h after transfection. Flow cytometry and MTT assay were performed to assess the effect of the siRNAs on the proliferation and apoptosis of LoVo cells.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and dioxinlike biphenyls in sediments from the Suzhou Creek, China.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and biphenyls (PCBs) were detected in sediments from Suzhou Creek with mean concentrations of 478.1, 245.1, and 4727.

Brain delivery of vasoactive intestinal peptide enhanced with the nanoparticles conjugated with wheat germ agglutinin following intranasal administration.

The development of biotech drugs such as peptides and proteins that act in the central nervous system has been significantly impeded by the difficulty of delivering them across the blood-brain barrier. The surface engineering of nanoparticles with lectins opened a novel pathway to the absorption of drugs loaded by biodegradable poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (lactic acid) nanoparticles in the brain following intranasal administration. In the present study, vasoactive intestinal peptide, a neuroprotective peptide, was efficiently incorporated into the poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (lactic acid) nanoparticles modified with wheat germ agglutinin and the biodistribution, brain uptake and neuroprotective effect of the formulation were assessed.

[The efficacy of biological dressing containing calcium and magnesium on the management of hydrofluoric acid burns].

Objective: To observe the efficacy of biological dressing containing calcium and magnesia (sheep dermis absorbing calcium and magnesia and cross-link with glutaraldehyde) on the management of hydrofluoric acid burns in rats and patients.

Methods: Wistar rats were randomly divided into A ( n = 24, normal control, with isotonic saline dressing after burns), B ( n = 32, with isotonic saline dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns), C ( n = 32, with wet-dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns), and D ( n = 32, with biological dressing treatment after hydrofluoric acid burns) groups. The rats in the latter 3 groups were inflicted with 3 cm x 3 cm TBSA full-thickness burns, and mortality, concentration of blood calcium , histopathological observation were carried out at 4,8,24 and 72 postburn hours (PBH), with 8 rats at each time-points.

Clusterin is associated with spontaneous breast cancer in TA2 mice.

Two-dimensional electrophoresis and Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-time of mass spectrometry were used to detect the differentially expressed proteins in serum of tientsin albinao 2 mice with spontaneous breast cancer, normal tientsin albinao 2 mice and tientsin albinao 1 mice. Only nuclear clusterin (n-CLU) was expressed in tientsin albinao 1. Immunohistochemistry and western blot validated that n-CLU was present in normal tientsin albinao 2 and tientsin albinao 1 mammary epithelium, and secretory clusterin expressed in the cytoplasm of normal tientsin albinao 2 mammary epithelium and spontaneous breast cancer.

Complications of high intensity focused ultrasound in patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors.

Aim: To analyze the local and systemic complications of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors.

Methods: From Aug 2001 to Aug 2004, 17 patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors were enrolled in this study. Real-time sonography was taken, and vital signs, liver and kidney function, skin burns, local reactions, and systemic effects were observed and recorded before, during, and after HIFU.

Effective diffusion coefficient determination within cylindrical granules of adsorbents using a direct simulation method.

Analytical expressions for solute adsorption kinetics within porous carbon cylindrical granules of adsorbents with a one point formula for effective diffusion coefficient determination are available based on the assumption that solute transport is the rate limiting step and that it follows Fick's Second Law. Here the first practical application of this theory is provided with an initial, estimated diffusion coefficient refined by fitting calculated kinetic adsorption curves to experimental data determined for activated carbons. In an ideal experiment, experimental error (noise) is negligible, and no data refinement is needed.

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin in the hyaluronic acid films.

Hemoglobin (Hb) in the hyaluronic acid (HA) was cast at pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes for researching its electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties. The formal potential and electron transfer rate constant of Hb on HA films were determined, and the stability of the films, the pH effect, and the influence of supporting electrolyte concentrations upon Hb electrochemistry on the films were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. UV-Vis absorption and reflectance absorption infrared (RAIR) spectra showed that the protein on HA film retained near-native secondary structure.

Familial aggregation of human susceptibility to co- and multiple helminth infections in a population from the Poyang Lake region, China.

Human helminthiases are common in China, especially in rural areas where sanitation conditions are poor. Co- and multiple infections with helminths are strikingly frequent. A cross-sectional parasitological and questionnaire survey was carried out in a population of 3205 individuals belonging to 498 families from five villages in the Poyang Lake region, Jiangxi Province, China, to assess their helminth infection status and to collect information on risk factors for infection.

Synergistically enhanced transdermal permeation and topical analgesia of tetracaine gel containing menthol and ethanol in experimental and clinical studies.

The aim of this study is to observe the synergistically enhanced percutaneous penetration and skin analgesia of tetracaine gel containing menthol and ethanol through experimental and clinical studies. Four anesthetic gels containing 4% tetracaine in carbomer vehicle named T-gel (containing no menthol or ethanol), 5%M/T-gel (containing 5% menthol), 70%E/T-gel (containing 70% ethanol, an optimal concentration for antiseptic), and 5%M+70%E/T-gel (containing both 5% menthol and 70% ethanol), respectively, were fabricated. The in vitro mouse skin permeation was investigated using a Franz diffusion cell.

Interleukin-17F signaling requires ubiquitination of interleukin-17 receptor via TRAF6.

Interleukin-17F (IL-17F), together with interleukin-17A (IL-17 or IL-17A), is a marker of T(H)17 cells, a new lineage of effector CD4(+) T cells to contribute to pathogenesis of a growing list of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). IL-17F, similar to IL-17A, was reported to employ interleukin-17 receptor (IL-17R or IL-17RA) for signaling but the downstream cascades remain largely elusive. Here we report that TRAF6 interacts with IL-17R and mediates ubiquitination of the receptor.

A quantitative method for measuring the antitumor potency of recombinant human endostatin in vivo.

Recombinant human endostatin (rhEndostatin) has been shown to inhibit tumor growth, but the variable antitumor activity of different rhEndostatin preparations has necessitated the development of an accurate, reproducible in vivo bioassay for evaluating the rhEndostatin activity. To assess the in vivo antitumor efficacy of rhEndostatin, H22 tumor-bearing mice received three doses of rhEndostatin and the potency of rhEndostatin preparations in inhibiting tumor growth was determined by ED(50)-potency assay and validated by dose-response parallel-line assay. There was a consistent and highly reproducible linear regression relationship between rhEndostatin dosage and tumor growth inhibition rate.

Ginkgo biloba extract reduces endothelial progenitor-cell senescence through augmentation of telomerase activity.

Our previous studies have shown that Ginkgo biloba extract increased endothelial progenitor-cell (EPC) numbers and functional activity. However, the mechanisms remain to be determined. Recent studies have demonstrated that increased EPC numbers and activity were associated with the inhibition of EPC senescence, which involved activation of telomerase.

Molecular phylogenetic diversity of the microbial community associated with a high-temperature petroleum reservoir at an offshore oilfield.

The microbial community and its diversity in production water from a high-temperature, water-flooded petroleum reservoir of an offshore oilfield in China were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were constructed from the community DNA and, using sequence analysis, 388 bacterial and 220 archaeal randomly selected clones were clustered with 60 and 28 phylotypes, respectively. The results showed that the 16S rRNA genes of bacterial clones belonged to the divisions Firmicutes, Thermotogae, Nitrospirae and Proteobacteria, whereas the archaeal library was dominated by methanogen-like rRNA genes (Methanothermobacter, Methanobacter, Methanobrevibacter and Methanococcus), with a lower percentage of clones belonging to Thermoprotei.

Parallel OSEM Reconstruction Algorithm for Fully 3-D SPECT on a Beowulf Cluster.

In order to improve the computation speed of ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm for fully 3-D single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reconstruction, an experimental beowulf-type cluster was built and several parallel reconstruction schemes were described. We implemented a single-program-multiple-data (SPMD) parallel 3-D OSEM reconstruction algorithm based on message passing interface (MPI) and tested it with combinations of different number of calculating processors and different size of voxel grid in reconstruction (64×64×64 and 128×128×128). Performance of parallelization was evaluated in terms of the speedup factor and parallel efficiency.

Tyrosine 330 in hSef is critical for the localization and the inhibitory effect on FGF signaling.

Sef (similar expression to fgf genes) was identified as an inhibitor of FGF signaling. The regulation of this inhibitory effect was largely unknown. In this report we demonstrated that tyrosine 330 in hSef protein plays a critical role in the control of the protein localization and thereby in the regulation of Ras/MAPK signaling pathway.